Lined carton



Aug. 7, 1945, w. H. ARTHUR LINED CARTON Filed Dec. 26, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet l w g d w a 2 I 3 ,1.iii.. ----:-m

Aug. 7, 1945. w. H. ARTHUR LINED CARTON Filed Dec. 26, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 7,1945. w. H. ARTHUR 2,381,026

LINED CARTON Filed Dec. 26, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Aug. 7, 1945 LINED csn'rols l William B. Arthur, Chicago, 111., ascignor to celltainer Corporation of America, Chicago, III, a corporation of Delaware Application December so, 1942, Serial No. 410,142

drawings forminga 1 Claim. (01. 229-14) This inventionrelates to a lined carton. i. -e.,

.to a paperboard carton within which is disposed a receptacle ofilei'tible sheet material. More specifically. it relates to a tubular carton which iscapable of being expanded and collapsed alons oppositely disposed longitudinal fold lines in the side wall thereof, having a bag made of flexible sheet material secured to the inner surfaces of the carton, the arrangement being such that the bag is adapted toe'xpand and collapse with the The use of paperboard cartons incomb'ination withvarious types of lining materials has been found extremely advantageous in the Mag. of many types of productsbe'cause of their low 1;ll

cost. and thisis particularly true of products which require protection against either the" loss or acquisition of moisture and of products which are oily and greasy in nature. A great man such combinations have heretofore been devised and a considerable number of them are in successful use. Each of them, however; has some attendant disadvantage, such as the necessity of using a non-conventional carton which is dlfiicult to handle, the requirement of special machinery in the packer's plant for sealing the lining material or -the use of a lining bag of such construction that the capacity of the bottom of the carton isnot fully utilised.

An ideal package for products of the type mentioned above is one which can be shipped to the packer in knocked-down or flat condition, will already be provided with a fiat-bottomed inner bag when it is expanded. and which requires only conventional carton filling and sealing equipment to complete the package. I have devised such a combination of bag and carton which has the additional advantage that it is. for the most part,

. adapted to be produced on the conventional machinery of a'iolding carton manufacturing plant.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved combination of folding carton and inner bag which is capable 'of being expanded and collapsed and in which the bag is so formed as to utilize all of the volumetriccapacity ofthe carton. Another object is to provide a combination of folding carton'andinner bag which can be, shipped to the user in fiat'condition and which requires only the use of conventional equipment in the user's plant to, close it'completely. Still further objects. advantages and uses will be apprent from the following description-thereof. which should be min with the ofthis specification. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates, by way of example, a folding carton blank suitablefor use in carrying out my invention having a die-cut sheet of lining material secured to the side wall panels thereof ina predetermined manner:

- .ig. 2 shows the lined blank of Fig. 1 after th completion of the first folding operation and after adhesive has been applied to the carton glue strip and to the lining;

' Fig. 3 illustrates the next stage of manufacture showing the manner in which both carton and lining are simultaneously'formed into tubes;

Fig. 4 shows, in perspective, the lined carton expanded and placed over a mandrel on which the bottom of the bag' is formed; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig.4

which shows the-bottom of the bag after it has been formed;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the bag-bottom folds as the carton is partially collapsed;

V Fig. 7 is a section along line 1-4111 Pig.

which illustrates the manner inwhich the bag bottom folds when the carton is completely collaps d;

Fig. 8 is a perspective; view of the top of the carton when it has been re-expanded and the bottom flaps sealed so that it is ready to be illledg Fig. 9 illustrates one stage in a preferred meth 0d of closing the topof' the carton combination of Fig. aafter it has beenfilled; and

Fig. 10 is similar to Fig. 9 but shows a subse: quent stage in the final closing of the package. In one of its broad aspects, the invention comprises a tubular paperboard carton capable of being collapsed on oppositely disposed fold lines which has secured to the inner surfaces thereof a bag of flexible sheet material having a bottom portion substantially conforming in size and shape to the inside configuration of thecarton in expanded-condition and adapted to lie substanttally in a plane perpendicular to itsside wall, the areas of adhesion to a. bag and carton being such that the bag and carton can be collapsed and expandedtogethen This result is achieved bysecuring the lining tothe side wall so that a distance sumclent to permit collapsing of th it lies adjacent thereto over most of the side wall area but is left unsecured to the areas defined by the bottom edge of the carton side wall and lines diverging downwardly andoutwardly from a point on each of the fold lines above the-bottom edge carton without disrupting the bag.

Preferably the carton ismade of one of the time! of paperboard usually used for folding car- 2 i g 'm and it is also preferred that it has integral elosurefiaps at each end, although this isnot absolutely necessary to the invention and other types of closures may be used.

a The sheet material from which the bag is made preferably has some characteristic property, such as'resistance to the passage of moisture vapor or oily materials, which renders it especially suitable for the product to be packed. Examples of such materials are regenerated cellulose films, Pliofilm and the like. It is also desirable that the sheet material should be capable of being heat-sealed, either because that is an inherent property thereof or because a suitable film of heat-sealing material has been applied thereto, this property being especially useful in forming the bottom of the bag in accordance with the invention.

The invention can best be understood in all of its details by considering a specific example thereof, and the example which has been chosen by way of illustration is shown in the drawings. Referring first to Fig. 1, a carton blank 20 is shown which in this instance is adapted to be formed into a substantially cubical carton. Blank 20 includes four side wall panels, 2|, 22, 22 and 24 de-- fined from each other by fold lines 25,28 and 21, and a glue strip 22 is provided which is integrally formed along one side of panel 24 and is defined therefrom by fold line 22. The bottom closure ilaps 2|, ll, 22 and 22 are hingedly Joined to panels 2|, 22, 22 and 24, respectively, along fold line 24, while top closure fiaps II, 24, 21 and 38 are simultaneously joined thereto fold line 29. In this instance, fiaps 20, 22, 24 and 21 are full flaps adapted to cover substantially an entire end of the carton, while fiaps ii, 22, 22 and 22 are about half as long so that they extend toward each other and substantially meet when the carton is setup and closed.

Superimposed on blank 20 and secured to all four'of-the carton side wall panels is a,.sheet 40 of the desired lining material which extends substantially to theouter ends of fiaps l and 31 and from a line substantially coincident with fold line 2! to a line beyond the free lateral edge of panel II. It will be seen that this provides in effect a strip 4| of lining materialwhich can be secured to the other side of blank 42 so as to form a complete tube. Blank 42 is in this instance die-cut so that four triangular shaped extensions 42 are formed, each of which partially overlies one of the flaps 22 to 23, inclusive, and these extensions are so formed that the blank 42 a short distance beyond fold line 24. The reason'for this is that it facilitates the formation of a bag havin tight corners as will be brought out below.

As shown in Fig. 1, blank 44 is secured to panels 2| to 24, inclusive, by means of a series of connected glue strips defining an area covering most of each of these panels, so that the blank will lie and be retained against the inner surface of each of these panels. It is not essential that the blank 4 be secured to the panels 2| to 24, inclusive, ,in this particular manner, except that the areas of adhesion should be so distributed that the linin will adhere to these panels over most of their area, that some of the points of adhesion are adjacent to the junction points of fold line 24 with fold lines is and 22, and that the triangular areas 42 defined by fold line 24 and by lines diverging from points on fold lines 25 and 21 from points somewhat spaced from fold line 24 substantially to the junction points of fold line 24 with fold lines 28 and 22 and the edge of the blank. It willberesdilyimderstoodbythose skilled folded back.

cessively folded toward each other along aline assnoas' :art that the blank 40 can readily be applied to blank 20 in the manner described on equipment usually foundin a folding carton manufacturing plant.

After the lining material has been applied the first step is to fold the carton along some line 25 so that panel 2| is superimposed on pane1 22 and the strip of the lining material extends beyond panel 2! and overlies a portion of panel 23. In this stage the carton and lining appear as shown in Fig. 2. Immediately prior to or following this folding operation, adhesive is applied to the ,glue strip 28 and also a strip 44 of a suitable adhesive is applied to the edge of the lining 40 immediately adjacent strip 28. Preferably the strip 44 of adhesive extends throughout the entire length of that end of the lining 40 as shown in Fig. 2 so that a complete tubular structure can be obtained.

Thereupon panel 24 is folded over-upon panel 22 along fold line 21, so that strip 4| comes in contact with adhesive strip 44 and is thereby secured to the opposite end of liner 40. Simultaneously glue strip 28 is brought to a position overlying the ed portion of panel 2| and is secured thereto. This is illustrated in Fig. 3 and particularly in the cut-away portions thereof. .All of these operations are readily performed on standard equip- .ment so that they are very economical.

The next operation is that of forming the diecut extensions 42 of the lining 44 into a square bottom' portion-and this can suitably bedone by expanding thecarton shown in Fig. 3 and placing it over a mandrel It, whereupon it will appear substantially as shown in Fig. 4 after the bottom flaps '20 to 42, inclusive, have'been Next. the extensions 42 are succorresponding to fold? line 24 upon the smooth upper surface of mandrel Ill- Because of the fact that the notches between the extensions 42 'do not reach the plane defined by fold line 24. the folding of extensions 42 results in small gusset corners which assist greatly in making the bottom of the bag leakproof.- when this folding has been done the carton and liner appear as shown in Fig. 5 and if the material of the lining 4| is heat-sealing, as it preferably is, it is only necessary to apply heat thereto to obtain a tight square-bottomed bag which completely utilizes the volume of .the carton. It is, however, not absolutely essential that the lining material have heat-sealing properties since extensions 42 can also be secured together by a suitable adhesive. Furthermore, it is not necessary that the extensions 42 have the particular configuration shown, but this shape was chosen because it results in a bag-bottom structure which is not bulky and which is relatively flexible so that the collapsing of the bag-carton combination to be described is more readily carried out.

Oneof the principal advantages of the invention is that this bag-carton combination can be' collapsed without injury to the bag and that it can be shipped in collapsed form to the user. Fig. 6 shows the manner in which the bottom portion of the bag folds when the carton is partially collapsed upon fold lines 25 and 21 by pushing fold lines 28 and 2! toward each other. As the distance between fold lines 25 and 21 is increased the corners of the bag closest'thereto pull away from the comers of the carton and this -occurs very readily because of the fact that there is no adhesive in that area tending to reinthe ll tain them in their original relative positions.

The nature of this folding, which occurs spontaneously. is easily seen in Fig. '7 which shows the cross-sectional view of the substantially completely collapsed carton. Fromthis figure it will be noted that there are three principal foids aside from those along the carton walls and that two of these face downwardly while the central one faces upwardly.

It will be apparent that the exact shape of the unglued areas of panels 2i to 24, inclusive, depends upon theconiiguration of the carton itself but there is no difficulty about determining the proper area to be left free of adhesive for any particular case as long as it is borne in mind that these areas must be adjacent to two oppositely disposed fold lines which correspond to fold lines 25 and 21 in this particular example. In the case of a square carton such as that shown, the distance along fold lines 25 and 21 which must be left free of adhesive is approximately of the width of the side wall panels.

The bag-carton combination when. it has been collapsed at the manufacturing plant is adapted to be stored and shipped in that condition but, nevertheless, it can easily be expanded by urging fold lines 25 and 21 together, and the bottom of the bag will then assume substantially its original shape with its plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the side walls. Then the bottom fiaps 30 to 33, inclusive, can be easily folded and glued to complete the bottom closure on a conventional sealing machine and when this has been done the carton-bag combination will appear as shown in Fig. 8.

After the bag has been filled with the desired product its upper end can be sealed in any desired manner and thetop flaps 35 to 38, inclusive, folded and glued to provide an eflicient top closure. I have found, however, that a simple and efficient closure is obtained by extending two of the side wallsof the upper end of the bag and then rolling the two thicknesses thus formed over upon each other in a confectioners fold so that it appears as shown in Fig. 9. Then one of the larger flaps, flap 31 for example, is folded over the closed bag and one of the smaller flaps, flap 38 for example, is folded'over upon and secured to the upper surfaces of flap 31. The carton then appears as shown in Fig. and it will be noted that flap 3'! provides an edge upon which the ear of the bag folds when fiap 38 is folded and that the confectioners fold is securely held in position, especially when flap 36 has been similarly folded and secured to the upper surface of flap 31. Finally, flap 35 is folded over and secured to the upper surfaces of flaps 36 and 38 and the package is then complete. Another advantage of this typeof closure is that conventional packaging machines can be used to make it and that a substantially airtight seal is obtained without the necessity of having heatsealing equipment in the packers plant.

While I have described my invention in connection with a specific embodiment thereof, it will be apparent that many modifications within the spirit of the invention can readily be made by those skilled in the art. For example, it can easily be applied to lined cartons which are rectangular, hexagonal, or circular in configurav described, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: g 1. In combination, a tubular paperboard carton capable-of being collapsed into substantially fiatform along two oppositely disposed longitudinal fold lines in the side wall thereof, and an inner bag of flexible sheet material having a bottom portion substantially conforming in size and shape to the inside configuration of said carton in expanded condition and adapted to lie substantially in a plane perpendicular to its side wall, said bag being disposed within said carton with its side wall secured to each Panel of the side wall of said carton so that said bag wall lies adjacent to all of said panels over most of their area when said carton is expanded, said bag and carton side walls being unsecured in the areas defined by the bottom edge of said carton side walls and linesdiverging downwardly and outwardly from a point on each of said fold lines above said bottom edge a distance sufficient to permit collapsing of said bottom portion of said bag when said carton is collapsed.

2. In combination, a tubular paperboard carton of rectangular cross-section having bottom closure flaps formed integrally therewith, and an inner bag of flexible sheet material having a configuration conforming substantially to the interior of said carton when said carton is set up and said fiaps are in closure-forming position, said bag being secured to all side wall panels of said carton so that thebag wall lies adjacent to said panels over most of their area, said bag wall and side wall panels being unsecured in the areas defined by the bottom edge of said carton and lines diverging downwardly and outwardly from a point on each of two oppositely disposed fold lines between said panels and above said bottom edge a distance sufficient to permit collapsing of the bottom portion of said gag when said carton is collapsed on said fold nes.

3 The combination according to claim 2 wherein said carton includes a plurality of top closure flaps integrally formed therewith and said bag extends upwardly above said panels a distance substantially equal to the length of at least some of said top closure flaps.

4. The combination according to claim 2 wherein said carton is square in cross-section and said diverging lines extend from points about two-fifths of a carton panel width above said bottom edge substantially to opposite upper corners of said carton.

5. In a lined carton or carton blank in which a sheet of flexible material is adhesively secured to the side wall ortions thereof so that they lie adjacent over most of the side wall area, the improvement which comprises providing areas over which said sheet is unsecured to said side wall portions defined by the bottom edge of said side wall portions and lines diverging downwardly and outwardly from a point on each of two opposite longitudinal fold lines above said bottom edge a distance sufiicient to permit collapsing of the bottom portion of a bag formed from said sheet material to conform to the bottom of said carton or blank when set up.

6. In a, lined tubular carton of rectangular cross-section, the improved bottom construction comprising a die-cut, substantially triangular bottom extension on each panel of the lining 7 tube, said extensions being folded toward each other substantially in the plane of the carton bottom and having their edges secured in overlapping relation, and the cut-away portions separating adjacent extensions extending toward but terminating short of the bottom edges of said carton, whereby said lining tube is provided with a bottom substantially coplanar with the carton bottom.

7. The combination according to claim 2 wherein said bag includes a bottom portion comprising a die-cut, substantially triangular bottom extension on each panel oi said has wall,

said extensions being folded toward each other substantially in the plane of the carton bottom and having their edses secured in overlapping relation, and the cut-away portions separating adjacent extensions extending toward but terminating short of the bottom edges of said carton.

WILLIAM H. ARTHUR. 

